off the cliff. >> so you want the sequestration cuts to go ahead, even on defense. i'm just getting breaking news that the president -- >> well, just remember, on defense, we are now spending substantially more, inflation adjusted, than at the height of the vietnam war, when we were waging the cold war and we had 500,000 troops in the field. >> well, cnn has just confirmed, congressman, that the white house, the president will meet with the congressional leadership, both parties tomorrow at the white house. what do you think they need to put on the table and get done tomorrow? what do you want to hear them say? >> john, when did we stop teaching civics in our schools? the president is not supposed to be part of the deliberative process. he heads an entirely separate branch of government with an altogether different purpose. i think we need to go back to the way the government was designed to operate, and that is the deliberative function, in the legislative branch, both the house and the senate, acting independently. and then resolving their differences through conference. that proc